Shoulder pain patients often have poor scapula control. Is their shoulder pain caused by poor scapula control, or is their scapula dysfunction caused by shoulder pain?

When your patients present with shoulder pain, should your focus be on scapula control, glenohumeral control, or treatment of the neck and thorax?

In this podcast, David Pope talks to Ann Cools, a Physiotherapist and Head of Education for Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy at Ghent University in Belgium, and is also the founding member and president (2010–2012) of EUSSER - European Society of Shoulder and Elbow Rehabilitation. We discuss in detail assessment of the scapula, the role of the scapula in shoulder pain and how to retrain unruly scapulae.

Other topics covered in this podcast include:

Research by Ann Cools
What we currently know from the research about the role, movement and control of
the scapula
Scapula dyskinesis - what is it
Static vs dynamic assessment of the scapula
Altering muscle balance and timing with specific exercises
How altering scapula mechanics effects muscle balance around the shoulder
Important parts of the subjective history
Scapula vs glenohumeral joint
How subjective will guide your objective assessment and treatment
Red flags around the shoulder, nerve pathology and frozen shoulder
Frozen shoulder imaging
Nerve injuries - symptoms, objective examination and treatment
Assessment of the scapula, Type 1 scapula dyskinesis
Differentiating contributors to Type 1 scapula dyskinesis (anteriorly rotated scapula)
Testing GHJ IR
Clinical Edge and online education on the shoulder
Stretching and shoulder joint mobilisation
Palpation, stretching and manual therapy for pec minor
Type 2 scapula dysfunction
Handheld dynamometry - serratus
Handheld dynamometry - middle and lower traps
Pain when strength testing
Type 3 scapula dysfunction
Dynamic assessment of the scapula
To retract and depress the scapula or not?
Shoulder Symptom Modification Procedure (SSMP) by Jeremy Lewis
Special tests around the shoulder
Laxity tests for the GH joint
Posterior GHJ laxity
Anterior GHJ laxity
Explanations of scapula dysfunction to your patients

Links of Interest

031. Scapula assessment in shoulder pain with Ann Cools

Physio Edge podcast with David Pope

031. Scapula assessment in shoulder pain with Ann Cools